A variety of fluids are contained in formations found within the Earth. Some of these fluids, such as water and oil, are desirable and may be produced to the Earth's surface for numerous uses. Many types of mechanisms are employed to produce the fluids from subterranean formations. For example, wellbores may be drilled into a formation to accommodate the deployment of a downhole completion used to control the upward production of fluid.
When fluid is removed from a formation, an underbalance of pressure, i.e. drawdown, occurs between the region of fluid intake at the completion and the surrounding reservoir or formation. If the pressure underbalance is too great, however, the formation may become mechanically unstable, resulting in sanding, further formation breakdown or formation compaction or subsidence. If, on the other hand, the pressure underbalance is substantially reduced, the production of fluid can be inefficient. Furthermore, the pressure underbalance (drawdown) that is allowed without incurring information failure may change with time as the producing formation is depleted and the in situ effective stresses increase.